Trio of suspects arraigned in Roosevelt Field Mall thefts
Police say the trio are also responsible for a Macy's theft in Manhasset earlier on Friday. They say the total value of the stolen merchandise is $3,000.
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A trio of suspects were arraigned Saturday after being accused of stealing thousands of dollars’ worth of merchandise from a store at the Roosevelt Field Mall and assaulting an officer.
Police say at around 7 p.m. Friday night, store security noticed three men walk into the Macy's at the Roosevelt Field Mall and caught them stuffing merchandise into a suitcase.
As the suspects attempted to flee, officers found 26-year-old Winderon Oropeza Rangel struggling to hold on to the stolen items and leave the scene. Police say Rangel became violent and injured an officer while resisting arrest.
The two other suspects, 24-year-old Felipe Martinez Ortiz and 23-year-old Angel Alberto Cruz Bolivar of the Bronx, were arrested after being found exiting other doors in the store.
Police say the trio are also responsible for a Macy's theft in Manhasset earlier on Friday. They say the total value of the stolen merchandise is $3,000.
Rangel was arraigned on several charges, including grand larceny, robbery, assault and resisting arrest. He is being held on $20,000 bail. The codefendants were arraigned on grand larceny charges and released. The three are due back in court on May 19.
The incident at Macy’s is the latest of more than a half dozen recent crimes at the mall. On Friday, News 12 reported the arrest of Christian Chavez, a 20-year-old accused of attempting to steal a pair of shorts from Nordstrom. Police say they found a loaded handgun in his backpack during the arrest.
Other crimes reported at the mall include the theft of thousands of dollars’ worth of luxury handbags, jewelry and cars stolen from the property.
Nassau Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder told News 12 they have full time detail assigned at the mall, with six officers and a supervisor going throughout the stores daily.
Shoppers tell News 12 that the recent crimes have made them worried about their safety.
“I think it's definitely scary because I was there a few weeks ago, and they had to shut something down because there was some kind of threat,” said Isabella Diaz, of Garden City.
“It's not going to deter me from shopping, but I’ll be keeping an eye on my surroundings,” said Gianna Ortiz, of Mineola.
MORE: Rash of crimes at Roosevelt Field Mall have some shoppers shaken
